Putting up a roller banner in a minute (and packing it away without wrecking it)

Putting up a roller banner takes about sixty seconds when you do things in sequence: feet out, pole together, pole into its socket, graphic up, rail on. Packing away is that list backwards, plus one habit that matters more than all the rest: keep both hands on the rail until the print is fully wound in. A stand treated that way lasts for years. A stand that gets let go of at the end of every show won’t.

Before the day: two checks worth doing at home #

Set-up panics tend to happen at 8.45 on the morning of the event, in a hall with visitors already drifting in. Two minutes at home avoids them.

• Headroom. Every graphic we print stands 6 ft 7 in (2000 mm) tall, and the base lifts it a bit higher. Check you’ve got just over 2 m under the ceiling. Some marquees, low stages and cellar bars don’t.
• A practice go. Put it up once in the kitchen or the office. You’ll find out which way the feet turn and how the pole joins with nobody watching.

What’s in the box #

Inside the base is a sprung roller with your print wound round it; the base itself is usually called the cartridge or cassette. Our roller banners come with a choice of three cartridges, named Budget, Standard Plus and Premium. The routine here suits all of them, though details like foot design and pole joints change from stand to stand, so if a leaflet came with yours, go with that.

Part	Its job
Cartridge	Keeps the print wound and tensioned; the print’s lower edge is fixed in here
Feet	Fold out beneath the cartridge so it can’t tip forwards or back
Pole	Comes in a few pieces that connect into one upright
Top rail	Grips the upper edge of the print and sits on the pole’s tip

Graphics come 800, 850, 1000, 1200 or 1500 mm wide, on either 440gsm banner vinyl or 610gsm blockout PVC.

Putting up a roller banner, step by step #

Choose a flat, level patch that isn’t in anyone’s escape route or walkway. Hall floors, carpet and reception tiles are ideal. A sloping car park or a soft lawn is not: the stand leans, and the first gust flattens it.

1. Cartridge down, slot up. Lay the base on the floor with the opening on top. Decide now where the audience will be, so the printed face ends up looking at them and not at the wall.
2. Feet out all the way. Turn or swing each foot until it won’t go further. Feet left half out are the usual reason a stand falls over.
3. Build the pole. Connect the pieces until every joint is snug. Where an elastic cord runs inside, just let it draw them together; no forcing.
4. Socket the pole. Push its lower end into the hole behind the print slot. It should now stand by itself.
5. Raise the print evenly. Grip the rail with a hand near each end and draw it upwards in one steady movement, keeping it horizontal so the print unwinds straight.
6. Rest the rail on the pole. Fit it over the hook or cap at the pole’s tip, and only take your hands away when you can see the pole is bearing the load.
7. Look from where visitors stand. Walk a few paces away. You want a flat, upright graphic with no pole showing. Edges that curl a little on day one usually flatten out by themselves.

Can I lower it?

A few stands have a telescopic pole. Don’t assume yours is one: the print is made 2000 mm tall and meant to be seen that way. Set a pole too long and the rail only reaches it by dragging extra print off the roller, putting strain on the spring.

Packing down without the snap-back #

That spring is powerful. Lift the rail off and release it, and the print rockets down into the cartridge. It can rip at the join with the roller, get scratched, jam the mechanism or trap a finger on the way.

1. Take the rail in both hands and ease it up off the pole.
2. Lower it steadily, keeping it horizontal, so the spring winds the print in no faster than your hands allow.
3. Stay holding on until the rail is sitting on the cartridge. The last bit is where people get lazy.
4. Remove the pole, take it apart and fold the feet under.

Dusty or splashed? Give the print a wipe with a soft, damp cloth and wait for it to dry before winding it in, or the grime gets pressed into the surface. Washing a PVC banner lists what’s safe to use.

Five ways stands get damaged #

• Letting go on pack-down. A torn or creased print is the result. Walk it down, every time.
• Lazy feet. Somebody’s bag clips it and down it comes. Check the feet before the print goes up.
• A wonky pull. Raising one end first creases the print along a side. Level hands, straight up.
• Doorways and outdoors. Two metres of print behaves like a sail in a draught. Keep stands indoors or well sheltered.
• A bright window behind. Daylight glows through thin material and the colours fade to nothing. Blockout roller banners, on 610gsm blockout PVC, fix that.

Training a colleague in putting up a roller banner? Show them this list, not just the steps.

Choosing a cartridge for the job #

The best guide to which stand to buy is how many times a year it’ll go up and down:

• Budget: fine for the odd event, or a stand that stays put in reception.
• Standard Plus: a tougher build for regular outings.
• Premium: made for teams on the road, setting up at exhibitions and roadshows week after week.

The 850 × 2000 mm roller banner sits in the middle of the width range, if you’re unsure where to start. A carry bag comes with some cartridges and not others, so check with us if you need one. Designing the graphic itself is covered in roller banner artwork set-up.

Between events #

Keep the print wound up inside its cartridge, and travel with the stand lying down in the car, not propped upright. Store it indoors where it’s dry and not too warm or cold. Damp garages and hot car boots both make prints curl. There’s more in storing banners.

We don’t sell printed graphics separately from stands. Want a fresh design for a stand you’ve already got? Ask through get a quote and we’ll give you a straight answer on whether it’s worth doing.

Timing and carrying #

Once your order and artwork are confirmed, standard roller banners go out in 4 working days, express in 2 and saver in 6; the product page lists the dates for each. If you’re hauling several stands between car and venue, the HSE’s manual handling guidance is a quick, useful read. After a few events, putting up a roller banner will take you less time than finding the nearest plug socket.